A brand-new training facility, The Academy was launched this week following a significant investment by independent pub company Punch and supported by industry brand owners. Based in their support centre in Burton Upon Trent, the industry leading training and development centre features a food development kitchen, The Academy Kitchen and a fully kitted bar and training cellar, The Academy Bar ensuring every aspect of operating a pub can be delivered on the site. The Academy also contains a 300-seater conference room with full AV, theatre and table style seating.
Attendees at the spacious venue will gain hands on experience in the fully functioning pub. The bar has the most popular brands including cask, extra cold, extensive premium spirits range and coffee centre. Each trainee will take part in creating the perfect serve for all products including specialist spirits and cask conditioned ales.
The cellar will enable the publicans to get the best experience in an actual cellar ensuring their beer is maintained and served perfectly from the moment they take on their pub.
Speaking about the new venue, new CEO at Punch, Clive Chesser said, “To ensure our new and current publicans get the best training support available we have developed this industry leading facility. Whether they are starting out in their first pub business or building on their expertise they can do that using the most innovative training environment around, helping them create great pubs which we all love”.
Punch provides a range of different courses at The Academy for their publicans and offers online training through their Punch Progress console and training app. More courses are available and are continually being developed with brand partners such as Cask Marque, Sky, Diageo and Vianet.
Adding, Chesser said, “Providing the most innovative training facility for our publicans will un lock more possibilities for them and their pubs. We are all extremely excited about seeing what this supercharged facility can do for all the people who put their heart and soul into running pubs with us”.